The Greatest Thing You'll Ever Learn
by Tromboneqt
Summary: After Satine's Death, Christian continues writing in her memory, but what happens when the daughter he never knew about comes to the Moulin Rouge?
1. Chapter 1

_"Nicolette! Come down here this instant!" _A voice called from down stairs.

The girl being referred to, Nicolette, sat on her bed, quietly staring out the window. Her auburn red hair was pulled back into a loose bun, though some strands had escaped the bun already. She wore a gorgeous, low cut blood red gown, the very same one her mother had worn when first trying to seduce Christian. Bright blue orbs peered out at the world while dull red lips smirked at the irony of it all.

Her personal quarters were rather small, though large compared to the other girls. But she held a certain status; the only daughter of Moulin Rouge's famous "Sparkling Diamond", Satine. The famous courtesan had secretly bore a daughter and had kept her in hiding, though she often visited the woman who had kept her safe, though she took care to make sure Nicolette had no idea who her real mother was.

However, once she was old enough to seek out her mother at the age of eighteen, she found that Satine was deceased, she had died only weeks before from consumption. Her first impression was to deny everything, they must be talking about another Satine, but once she saw the tombstone, engraved with Satine's name, it became like a heavy anvil on her heart. As the tears rolled down her cheeks, she noticed that beneath the dates of Satine's birth and death, there was a quote etched into the stone:

"_The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return_." Christian

Instead of just giving up on finding lost memories of her mother, she went to the Moulin Rouge for the first time. Once she found her way into the courtesan's wing, she searched feverishly for her mother's dressing room, but it had been cleared out except for a picture of Satine and a man she must have loved. But it had been ripped in half and taped back together. Since the background of the picture was the elephant outside, she took the picture and headed for the foot and entered the door, hoping that she would find things that would give her clues of her mother's life.

But her rooms had not been touched. Corsets and Dresses lay everywhere, while jewelry had been strewed among the top of her dresser. The plush bed still glowed the bright red of the comforter her mother had used, the blood stains from her mother's illness still littered the blanket's surface.

As she searched through her mother's things, she felt like someone was watching her. Shaking away that feeling, she continued digging through the mounds of silk and lingerie, as though there was something she knew she was meant to find. Finally at the bottom of one of the drawers, she discovered a letter; It was addressed to two people, Nicolette and Christian. However, before she got a chance to open it, the door to the room swung open to reveal a man with carrot-red hair and beard and dressed in a bright red suit, Harold Ziegler.

"_I-I-I'm sorry_." Nicolette stammered, looking downward in an attempt to avoid eye contact, but after a few moments of silence, she glanced up fearfully. But to her surprise, Harold only looked curious rather than angry.

"_Where might you be from, poppet_?" he asked. "_And what brings you to the Moulin Rouge_?"

"_Well,_…" she started to say. "_I was sent here by Madmoiselle Satine's family to pick up her things._"

"_Oh_?" Ziegler replied, raising an eyebrow. "_Mademoiselle Satine had no family. She was abandoned as a child on my door step and I and Marie raised her….You do know that she is dead, correct_?"

"_Indeed sir_, _her death was a tragic loss to the entire culture of the Parisian underworld_, " Nicolette replied, trying to hide her shock that he would dare be so cold; after all, her mother was one of the best courtesans Moulin House had ever had! The least he could do was show some respect for her memory! "_But_," she added coldly. "_Now that she is gone, you might show her the respect that you never did while she lived_."

"_How dare you_?" he responded, eyes turning a cold glare upon her and folding his arms across his chest. "_And who might you be, to tell me all this_?"

Nicolette raised her head proudly and looked him straight in the eyes as she replied. "_I am Mademoiselle Satine's only child._"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: A Pleasant Seduction

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"I'm Mademoiselle Satine's only child."

Ziegler could only stare at her; his mouth open in shock and his eyes wide with amazement, before he regained his stony composure.

"That's completely absurd. Satine was the star, the "Sparkling Diamond", of my Moulin Rouge. It would be impossible, if not inconceivable, for her to hide all the signs and trials of pregnancy, especially under my watchful eye. Things such as a growing waistline, swollen feet, constant fatigue, and daily nausea would not go unnoticed for very long, especially at the Moulin Rouge. She had so many admirers, so many customers; she rarely had time to herself…ever. Perhaps you are mistaken."

But even he didn't look convinced; she was, after all, the spitting image of her mother. She stood about the same height as Satine did, her forehead reached his chin. She possessed the same physique as her mother, a voluptuous but petit figure. Flowing auburn hair drifted past her slender shoulders, ending just before the small of her back. Finally she shared the same luscious lips that seemed to smirk at her audience, while piercing blue eyes laughed at the irony of the world. Even as Ziegler watched, her pale red lips formed a tight grin before she replied.

"_Only you would think you are so great that you could never make a mistake." she spat at him. "Well guess what? Satine was an even better actress than you ever thought, and she managed to trick not only you, not only her fellow dancers, but everyone who ever entered the Moulin Rouge. She was better than you ever gave her credit for…" she trailed off, feeling tears come into her eyes at the thought of her poor mother being forced to suffer in hiding. _

"She wore tighter corsets to accommodate her growing belly," she continued. "And convinced every one that saw her that she had the flu, so naturally no one stayed around her very long as to avoid infection. Soon rumors of her illness were going around, and she received fewer customers, though she lost no admirers but since it was winter, business had slowed down greatly for everyone. But surely you recall the fight the other dancers had to have Satine removed from their sleeping quarters into quarantine so she wouldn't infect them as well and ruin business?"

Start Flashback

Of course Harold remembered that night. It was the dead of winter, a gentle blanket of snow covered the ground, and the quiet lights of lit candles shone through the town. However, due to the cold weather, not many came to the Moulin Rouge at night to be entertained, so the dancers were fighting for business. To cut Satine out of the picture, they had been spreading rumors that she came down with the flu, or perhaps consumption; the disease became more serious with each rumor.

One particularly cold night, Ninny had asked to speak with him and demanded that he throw the disease ridden tramp out to the streets. What's worse is that some of the other dancers had actually backed her up! But Harold had had enough; this time Ninny had gone too far!

"_How dare you pass judgment on the person that keeps the Moulin Rouge afloat? You stupid disease ridden sluts! She is a beautiful woman who could be a star if she was given the chance, while you jealous hores will never amount to anything but one night stands and sleepless existences. I will make the decisions around here; however this time you're right, she should be moved. I don't trust her around you anymore so she will be moved into the Elephant Room." _

So Satine had been moved, for precious quiet and isolation, to the Elephant Room, which had been remodeled for her. She now spent most of her time in their, being as not many clients wanted to sleep with a sick dancer. So she would sit on the roof and sing her melancholy songs, and many passerby would stop and listen. The soft heartbreaking tone in her voice seemed to draw anyone who heard it to yearn for more, and so they came to the foot of the elephant and gathered to hear the angelic voice of Moulin Rouge's Sparkling Diamond.

"_And_…" Nicolette continued. "_The night of my birth, she stayed in the elephant room while you thought she was attending to a client_."

Harold remembered that too; after her bout with the flu, Satine seemed weaker than usual, but the customers still requested her often, so as to not disappoint the customers, Harold would give Satine to the highest bidder and that gentleman would have her for the night. Luckily that night, a regular customer had taken her and Ziegler knew from past times, he'd probably use her for an hour before he'd leave. But he became worried when it was 4 hours later and Satine was still moaning and groaning; he was surprised that the man was so insatiable. But poor Satine, 8 hours later and it was still happening; All Harold could worry about now was how much money he would receive from Satine's hard-earned reward.; after all, if the man wanted to part with his money so badly, who was Harold to stop him?

However, when Harold visited Satine the next morning, he was greeted with a mess of bloody sheets and an exhausted Satine who managed a weak smile for him.

"_What happened, my little sparrow_?" he had asked. "_Where's the money_?"

She took a deep breath.

"_Harold, the money is on the table over there_."

Harold looked over at the table and saw 50 shillings sitting there. Picking them up, he made a fist and banged it on the table.

"_Are you going soft? He owed you at least 8 times this for all the moaning and mess I heard last night_," Harold raged.

"_Well Harold_," Satine began with a breathless tone. "_The man had been drinking and when I requested further payment for the additional hours, he knocked me out and when I came to, he was gone and the 50 shillings were on the table over there_."

If it was one thing Harold didn't like, besides people messing with Satine, it was losing money.

So he sent out orders for the poor fellow to be barred from entering the Moulin Rouge again.

End Flashback

The big picture finally dawned on him. Satine had indeed been pregnant and here was her only child, right here in front of him. Harold Ziegler refused to believe that this was coincidence; he believed fate had rigged this hand just so. The fate which had so unfairly stolen his precious Satine from him and just when he thought he was done for, fate had interfered and dealt him a new hand. He would not forget his former star so soon, but here was Moulin Rouge's new beginning.

"_Perhaps I was a little hasty earlier_," Ziegler began. "_But I could not believe that you are indeed your mother's daughter; now I believe you could have her potential. As a matter of fact, I was in the process of interviewing young women like yourself in search of her replacement; but it's more difficult than I thought to find someone to fill your mother's dainty shoes_. _Before she died, we had this amazing show called "Spectacular Spectacular" written by our fabulous bohemian writer Christian. However, since your mother was the star, we need to fill that spot before the show can continue_."

"_I'll think on it_," Nicolette replied. '**_NOT_**," she added defiantly to herself.

But the name Christian had rung a bell; The letter that she had found in her mother's belongings had been addressed to both her and Christian.

"_Harold_," Nicolette purred. "_I'd quite enjoy meeting this 'Christian' you speak of, I've heard he and my mother were quite close…Could you possibly arrange a meeting for me_?"

The girl was playing right into his hands. Once Nicolette had met Christian, Christian would believe that Satine had come back and then they'd sleep together and Christian would be inspired to write a new, better bohemian show/

"_Well, I guess I could arrange a private 'poetry reading' for the two of you_," Ziegler murmured, pretending to think on it as he twisted the end of his red moustache. "_Maybe tomorrow night at 7:00_?"

However, Nicolette was not fooled.

"_What's in it for you_?" she asked suspiciously. "_No one does anything for free, especially not Harold Ziegler_!"

He only smirked; this was indeed Satine's daughter. She definitely had her mother's smarts and shared suspicious nature.

"_Well, my little sparrow_," Harold began. "_You will become the star of Spectacular Spectacular and work with Christian on learning the show. I gain nothing except a new star and a happy writer_."

"_But you haven't even heard me sing_!" Nicolette argued. "_What if the writer doesn't believe I can handle the part_?"

"_You can have your audition tomorrow at the meeting_," Harold answered smoothly. "_But since I don't want the others to know I might have found a new star, we will only refer to your meeting with Christian as a private 'poetry reading_'." He noticed that Nicolette didn't look like she was falling for it. "_I'll have everything arranged in the elephant room for tomorrow night; don't worry. He'd be a fool not to come and meet Moulin Rouge's new star_!"

"_Hmph_," Nicolette answered. "_Well you better keep up your end of the bargain, or else there's going to be problems….and you wouldn't want that now, would you Harold?" Nicolette finished with a smirk._

"_So, we'll set it for tomorrow night in this room at 7:00_," Harold repeated, choosing to ignore her last defiant comment. "_Be there or be square_. _Ta-ta_!"

With that, he walked out the door, and closed it tightly behind him, leaving Nicolette alone with her decision.

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	3. Chapter 3

After Ziegler left, Nicolette spent a few more moments, soaking in what had happened. She sank down to the dusty bloodstained comforter that her mother had used during the last stage of her illness, while she pondered the consequences of her decision. She wanted desperately to meet the man that had caused her mother so much happiness, but she wondered what price Harold would place on the meeting he would arrange for her and Christian.

'_Would it be worth it to fulfill her mother's legacy as the star of the Moulin Rouge?'_

She had no desire to become some drunken aristocrat's toy that he could do with as he pleased. Men who had to have complete control of a woman disgusted her. Just like the rich sleaze ball, the Duke. What right did he have to control her mother just because she was pretty and he was insanely rich? That was just the life she had been avoiding. After all, look what had happened to her mother? She willingly accepted her fate, and the Moulin Rouge had sent her to an early death.

With a sigh, she rose off the bed and looked out the heart-shaped window on the elephant's head. The disaster of her mother's untimely death had already started to take its toll on the nightclub. The letters that spelled out Moulin Rouge were dull with age and falling off the night club's entrance, crudely hanging by bent nails consumed with rust. The trash from the street outside had begun to make its way within the night club's walls, littering the courtyard with old newspapers, broken Absinthe bottles, cigarette butts, and more. The place was obviously not acceptable for customers, but the constant thirst for domination and power over a seductive, sensual creature that would submit to their every desire for a price outweighed their concern for the appearance of the once attractive nightclub.

_Why would she want to help save a place that killed her mother's independent spirit and attempt to do the same to her?_

However, would she really suffer the same fate as her poor mother? After all, Ziegler promised to make her the star of "Spectacular Spectacular", not the Moulin Rouge, the nightclub that the courtesans ruled after the sun disappeared from the sky. It wasn't like she had a life to go back to, now that she had discovered someone who could tell her more about her mother. Her weakness had always been her sense of curiosity which always overwhelmed her normally reasonable thoughts. Part of her said that she was being silly, but part of her wished for the fame and status that Satine had achieved. She wanted to explore the life of a star, the life her mother had strived for. It must be nice to hear everyone chanting your name as you relish your moment in the spotlight. It would be a welcome change from her caretaker, who Nicolette always felt she was a burden to.

But there was no need to make a decision right now; she could always meet with Christian first and then figure out if making his acquaintance was worth the freedom she would undoubtedly be surrendering if she joined the ranks of the courtesans of the Moulin Rouge. With a small smile, she turned away from the window. If Christian was as great as she thought he was, it would possibly be worth the sacrifice.

'Let the game begin'

**Meanwhile, across the street….**

The tattered ruins of curtains provided little protection against the crude wind that tossed them about as they fluttered in and out of the broken half-open window. An abused typewriter, scarred with marks from being flung against the paper-thin walls of the tiny room, or kicked onto the dirty, scuffed floor boards, sat alone in the corner of the room. A pile of crumbled papers with discarded ideas surrounded the flimsy table it sat on. Occupying the other corner, with a diagonal view out the window, was a poor, broken-spirited man with a half-empty bottle of Absinthe in his hand. He hadn't shaved in weeks, and his blood shot eyes revealed a plethora of sleepless, miserable nights since Satine's death. Scars of razor cuts covered the pale undersides of his arms, from his wrists to his elbows. He was a miserable sight, but if it weren't for Toulouse's constant visits, he would have killed himself the night Satine died, just so they could be buried together.

Now he spent his days, drinking Absinthe and trying to forget the pain of reality: **The woman he loved was now dead.** Sometimes, if he was having a decent day, he would attempt to write another story in Satine's memory. But everything he wrote seemed like an insult to the achievement of the love that they had shared, so it was always tossed aside.

Ziegler was becoming cross with him because it had been almost 2 months since Satine had died and Christian had not found a replacement for her, nor written another bohemian piece to be performed. Ziegler had even gotten to the point where he began to send some of his dancers over to satisfy his lust for Satine, but in the end, he turned them all away. Not one of them had half the beauty or poise that Satine had pulled off so effortlessly.

With a sigh, he pulled himself to his feet and sat at his typewriter once again. As he pondered what he was about to write, he saw a beautiful auburn haired woman leave the Moulin Rouge and head down the street. There was something about the graceful way she moved and the pride in which she held her head that made him think of someone. Perhaps he had been drinking too much because even his eyes told him that girl reminded him of his lost love. A small smile stole across his lips; Satine was in a better place.

'_Besides, it was better to have loved and lost, then to not have loved at all right_?'

It was time to write something wonderful.


End file.
